that which must go
by dannachi
Summary: "When it is too difficult to forgive, one must forget." Such is the slogan of the Yamanaka Cleaners, who specialize in the removal of memories from the mind. But Sasuke and Sakura may find that the heart can remember what the mind forgets.


Hi guys! This fic is inspired by the film _Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_. I thought something like that would be perfect for Sakura and Sasuke. This chapter is rather slow, I apologize. Thanks for reading!

* * *

"This is it, isn't it, Sasuke?" she said, a decades-old breeze rustling her hair. It was springtime. "It all ends here, doesn't it?"

He looked over his shoulder at the girl, at her downcast eyes. She looked so beautiful amid the flowers, the sunlight streaming through the leaves as if desperate to caress her in her final moments. He let out a breath and said, "No." The girl looked up, green meeting black. "It all begins here."

With that, there was little else to say. Their gaze remained uninterrupted, eyes connected as if by magnetism. With every breath another year flew by, moments and memories escaping their grasps like water. Laughter and tears and hope and agony, love and hatred and patience and fury-years and years of emotions and thoughts caught in a stare, a series of breaths, a silent farewell.

The sun began to set. It was ending. It was ending. It was ending.

No.

It was only beginning.

* * *

She had to admit that when she was told to collect all her belongings pertaining to Sasuke, she expected it to be much more difficult. In the end, though, Sakura realized they simply weren't a material couple. She barely had enough for a small box, and yet as she carried this box to Yamanaka Sweepers, she found the weight of the memories to be burdensome still. Sakura took a deep breath and continued her stride to the outskirts of Konoha. This needed to be done.

At last Sakura reached the lackluster building with a sign reading _Yamanaka_. She opened the door. "Mariko-baasan?" she called.

The elderly Yamanaka emerged from another room, her silver hair woven into a braid and her bright blue eyes struggling to see beneath sagging skin. "Sakura," she said in a voice like a wheeze. "I see you've brought your mementos." Sakura gave a terse nod and followed Mariko, leading her to a room with a table and two desks. "Well, shall we begin?"

Sakura placed the box on the table, gazing at its contents once more. She closed her eyes-inhale, exhale. Was this the right thing to do? She opened her eyes. "Yes."

After they were both seated across from each other, Mariko said, "These objects are merely objects. They have meaning because you have given them meaning, and in order to forget this meaning, you must recall it completely. As you recall these memories, I will find them in your mind and block them from your access."

"Understood." Beneath the table, her fingernails clawed at her knees. A question. "Where-where is…"

With a smile, Mariko responded, "He should be arriving soon. He will be in the other room with my husband. We will make sure that your paths do not cross. Anything else?" Sakura shook her head, her grip on her knees tightening still. "Then, I will now enter your mind." Mariko reached into the box and retrieved the first object. A single bell on a string. She placed it in front of Sakura, made the familiar circle with her fingers, and muttered the incantation. She was inside Sakura's mind.

* * *

Sasuke frowned, staring down at the garbage bag full of junk. He shifted in his chair, arms crossed, waiting for the old man to return with his tea. To put it simply, he wanted this whole thing to be over swiftly. He hadn't expected this process to be so long and troublesome, though considering the decades of trouble leading up to this decision, he supposed it was a small price to pay. Regardless, he had an entire garbage bag full of items, and the old man had explained the procedure to him. He sighed. This was taking too long already.

Finally, Yamanaka Satoshi returned, shuffling back into his seat, two steaming cups of tea in his hands. He handed one to Sasuke. "Uchiha-san," he said after a long sip. "Are we ready?"

Sasuke crossed his arms a little tighter. He swallowed. "Will I get these memories returned to me?" he demanded, loathing the words as they left his mouth.

Satoshi blinked twice beneath his drooping eyelids and let out a raspy chuckle. "Uchiha-san," he said, "You will know the answer if you ever decide to seek it."

Sasuke drew in his eyebrows and frowned at the ambiguity, but decided that that was all he could got out of the man. He let out a sigh, nearly imperceptible. "I am ready."

With a grin, Satoshi reached into the bag and pulled out an Uchiha crest shirt, far too small to fit Sasuke. "Let us begin."

* * *

At the end of Sakura's session, she left behind a picture frame, a silver bell, a daffodil, a kunai, a receipt from Ichiraku's, a letter, and a necklace.

At the end of Sasuke's session, he was free of a red ribbon, a picture frame, several stuffed animals, a plush tomato, three scrolls, an apple, four shirts, a hand-stitched pillow, and a painting.

The objects had, as the Yamanakas said, lost their meaning.

Both of them were told to rest well that night and return to Yamanaka Cleaners in the morning. The process would take the whole day. As promised, the pink-haired girl and the Uchiha did not cross paths as they left, both of them returning to their homes and their endless thoughts undisturbed.

Tomorrow, they would forget.


End file.
